December 20, 2000 – Went Through the Temple and X is Born!

December 20, 2000 – Went Through the Temple and X is Born!

To this day B will tell you that I was “difficult” when I got married. Which actually stems from the fact that I think I stepped on his toes a little when I planned my wedding for a day after his first baby was due: December 20th. I figured it would work out well because my parents were already going to be out in Utah for Christmas. Kill two birds with one stone, I thought. Well, B informed me that this was “stealing his spotlight,” as he said. I told him that was a little stupid and he said it was just something I should think about. So I cleared it with the boss: his wife. She said she thought B was being silly and that I should do the wedding whenever. … B was not the only one with complaints about when we planned our wedding. Grandma D also let it be known that we had been completely inconsiderate about the timing of our wedding. They had a trip they had to be on and probably had to rearrange things to be there. I was a little offended. We had tried hard to find a good time for everyone, but as you find out over time, it is impossible to please everyone.

So plans went on. And as it turns out, the morning I was to get out my Endowment, X (B and J's son) was born. So B was not there for the Endowment session. I don’t remember if B was there for the wedding ceremony, but I think he might not have been. Obviously his priority lay at the time with his wife and newborn son. This was fine, and the way it should be.

We had some mishaps getting to the temple that day. I gave my mom and dad directions to the wrong Grandma’s house on the way to get Rob. So this caused us a little delay as we had to cut back across town. Then, on the way to the Mount Tempanogas Temple, there was a traffic jam on the freeway. So Rob took us winding around town to get there. I remember asking, “Does Satan always make it this difficult to get to the temple?” And Rob said, “Not if we surprise him.”

It was lovely to get out my endowment with my mom as my escort. Rob’s Grandpa D was the officiator. It was a little scary at first to not know what was going on, and we had some funny wardrobe mishaps, but it was well worth it. Rob got to take me through the veil and then we were united with our families in the Celestial Room. It was a wonderful sight. And a comforting one. Something about the clothes Rob was wearing, that I had never seen before, was familiar to me. Then I remembered that I would have seen Ruben in his temple clothes after he died. And I was grateful to have had that experience to make the moment in the Celestial Room feel very peaceful: like coming home.

Rob: The experience of taking my soon-to-be-wife through the veil was probably one of the greatest experiences of my life. It was indescribable to be on the other side and hear her voice and see her in that way. I am so grateful I married her in the temple. I am so grateful our marriage is eternal. I look forward to someday sharing that with her again.

written Spring 2006